Sometimes
by SmokeMirrorMaster
Summary: Sometimes the girl doesn't get the guy. Sometimes, it's not Hinata who ends up with Naruto. Series of drabbles featuring various Naruto characters. I do not own any of these characters.
1. Chapter 1

Listen.

Sometimes the girl _doesn't_ get the guy.

 _Yes_ \- Sometimes Hinata _doesn't_ end up with Naruto.

Sometimes- when Hinata gives up on being _shy_ , and _proper_ , and _fitting in to the socially acceptable role for her gender_ \- she tells Naruto flat out how she feels.

And sometimes Naruto _doesn't_ reciprocate those feelings, he sometimes doesn't realize that _everything_ he has ever wanted, _craved_ , is right in front of him.

Because, sometimes, what _Naruto_ wants is _not_ recognition.

Because sometimes Naruto is _different_.

So even though Hinata has liked- maybe even _loved_ \- Naruto for about four years, and he is _everything_ that she wants to be ( _everythingthatshe'llneverbe_ ), Hinata will sometimes _never_ get this boy.

Because sometimes, maybe, it's _Hinata_ who is lonely and empty and _it'ssodarkinhere_ , _wheredidallmypreciouspeoplego_ , and _whymewhymewhenwillthisall_ _ **end**_.

Sometimes, it's in _her_ heart that she knows she will _never_ be what she wants to be.

And so sometimes, it's _Hinata_ who ends it all.


	2. Chapter 2

Sakura hadn't waited for Sasuke. She hadn't out her whole life on hold, waiting for Naruto to bring him back to Konoha for her. Sakura had changed.

Before, she hadn't really realized what it was to be a Shinobi of the Leaf. She hadn't grasped the concept, too focused on a petty rivalry with her closest friend over a boy they both barely knew. (Sure, they knew his favorite color and favorite food, where he lived and where he liked to train, but neither she nor Ino really _knew_ Uchiha Sasuke. If they had, they wouldn't have fallen for him.)

Then she was put on a genin team with him- and Naruto. For a while, all she could see was 'Sasuke-kun' and that she'd become stronger for him. To make him like her.

Sasuke was a prize that she thought she could win. When she found that she couldn't, when he left her lying on a bench in the night, everything fell apart. And then she changed. (It was only later that she realized she should have changed before- first on the Wave mission, and second in the Chuunin Exams.)

So when Naruto went away with Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin, she found herself someone of equal status to help her become great. Tsunade trained her, and she wasn't weak, helpless, _annoying_. She didn't need to be protected. And best of all, she could both save and defend her village. She would never be stashed away as 'just a healer'. She would never be pushed away from the battlefield. She was strong.

And when Sasuke was admitted back into the village, all of her strength did not miraculously melt away. She did not throw herself into his waiting arms and confess her undying and eternal love for him. She was better than that.

She hadn't put herself on hold for Sasuke. Instead, she had put her love on hold, and after she learned to trust, she could learn to love again. And in the end, it was for the best.


	3. Chapter 3

It wasn't that Tenten tried not to think about Neji.

The war was finally over, and everything was settling back until semi-normal patterns. Tenten went back to training with Lee and Gai-sensei, even though they were no longer an official team. She did all of the things she used to do, like consistently polish her weapons and update the capacity of her storage seals.

She didn't wince when Hanabi- as heiress- talked of removing the Caged Bird Seal from the Hyuuga branch members (for she did not like to dwell on things that could have been), and she definitely did not begrudge Hinata her life.

(Because in all the things she didn't do or tried not to do, that was one line of bitterness that she would not cross. That, of all things, had been Neji's decision, and she would respect that.)

And it wasn't that Tenten hasn't respected him- and she still did, even after all of it- for Neji had been a good teammate and an even better friend once Naruto had beaten some sense into him about his whole destiny deal.

In fact, Tenten still went to his grave in the Hyuuga family plot, still visited the memorial stone in his name. She still respected him, still admired him, still… Loved him? (She didn't quite know, having never gotten the chance to even hope to explore those types of feelings for Neji.)

But Tenten was tired of being alone, tired of being pitied by her peers- in an odd sort of way, for she was far from being the only one who had lost someone of importance in the Fourth War… It was time for her to go out again, into the world. It was time to see what she could do, what she could be, who Tenten was outside of her old team, the past, and Neji.

It wasn't that Tenten tried not to think about Neji. It was that she thought he would have wanted her to move on. So she didn't cut ties, didn't forget- But Tenten had decided to move on and find herself.


	4. Chapter 4

Once upon a time, Neji did not hate Hinata. Even though his father was killed in sacrificing himself for his cousin, he did not want to make her life a living hell. Even though he was of the Branch house, and she of the Main, he has grown up loving Hinata as a sister, and she looked up to him. Never would he dare to crush her spirits.

Even though he would forever be told that he was less than, he would not begrudge his duty of protecting Hinata. For his father had given his life in that one last effort, and Neji felt as if that could have been his dying wish for his only son. Protect the heiress- and more importantly- protect his family. His father had offered himself up, it had been his choice.

So he spent his life training with Hinata, helping her, encouraging the light that his father had given his life for. (He supposed that this was what the Will of Fire as truly about.)

And in the end, he too traded his life for the light that his father had saved.


	5. Chapter 5

In another world, Itachi made a mistake that caused Sasuke never to become a self-proclaimed avenger. He told his brother that he killed their entire clan in order to test his limits. (What? This wasn't a mistake originally? Well, the problem here is that Sasuke is a tiny bit smarter, and a lot curiouser.)

In Sasuke's mind, this was wrong in one of two ways: either he had somehow not noticed that his beloved Aniki was a psychopath in disguise, or someone had _made_ Itachi kill his own family.

In the first scenario, it wouldn't make sense for Sasuke to listen to the words of his crazy older brother. And why would Itachi tell him to become stronger anyway? Wouldn't he want Sasuke to stay weak so he could never defeat him?

As for the second theory, it would be awful for Sasuke to hate his brother for all eternity just to find out that Itachi didn't even have a choice in the matter.

And therefore, Sasuke decided to get stronger- not to defeat Itachi, not to avenge his clan, not to be overwhelmed with hate (why would Itachi even wish that corruption upon him?), but to find out the truth.


	6. Chapter 6

If The Akatsuki Did What They Were Supposed To Do (in other words, Deidara realizes that they've screwed up big-time)

He waits restlessly as everyone is debriefed. As the meeting starts to crawl to a close, he pipes up. "Can I say something, un?" He looks over to Leader-sama, whose shadowy figure gives a definitive nod. He takes a deep breath, not only to prepare for his long-winded speech, but to study himself (he's the third newest here- if you count Tobi which he preferred not to do).

"Leader-sama, it has come to my attention that our motives as an organization are bit skewed. We claim to want world domination it has come to my attention that our motives as an organization are bit skewed. We claim to want world domination-"

Here Leader-sama cuts him off. "World peace." He states, and although Deidara cannot see his face, he can feel the force of the glare that is being sent his way. He gulps but continues.

"But although we're great at killing, torturing, and threatening, at the rate we're going, there won't be a world to control. We haven't been asking people to surrender, haven't even been giving the option, and soon they'll all be dead, and it'll be just us." He's really getting into it now, coming up with new ideas spontaneously. "And, you know, if we die, there won't be a human race anymore, let alone Shinobi, even if we kept some civilians around. We'd have to procreate, and some of us can't even do that. Besides, we're all male-" He catches another glare. "Except for Konan, un." He adlibs hastily.

"And even beyond that mistake, if we really are trying to achieve world peace, why aren't we signing treaties with places like Konoha and Suna instead of constantly attacking them and trying to steal their Jinchūriki? Shouldn't we be trying to get those most powerful on our side instead of against us? And then once we've signed the treaties, we can have better allies than Oto. We can deal with nuisances like Kumo with help. We can actually get to our goals instead of making tons of enemies. At the rate we're going, like I said before, it's more likely that our plans will fall apart, and we will become redundant." He fiddles with some clay in his hand, picks at his worn nail polish. "Well, un?"

Deidara can feel the glare again, but this time it isn't directed at him. "Why didn't anyone tell me this before?!" roars Leader-sama, and if they weren't S-class Shinobi, they would have all jumped.

"Well, shit." mutters a voice, and it sounds like Kisame. "We never thought about it before, we were just taking orders."

He can hear others muttering: Tobi yelping about Deidara being a 'good boy', Kazuku mulling over monetary benefits, and Hidan whining about how it will affect his sacrificial schedule for Jashin-sama. He glimpses someone- that he thinks is Itachi- give him a semi-approving nod, but then Leader-sama is giving marching orders and he realizes that _he has just changed the world order._

The meeting ends two hours after it is supposed to, but Deidara isn't complaining.


	7. Chapter 7

In another lifetime, Sabaku no Gaara wasn't as bad as they made him out to be. The people who had sealed Shukaku in him hadn't made a mistake this time around. They had made his seal tighter, more secure- more like Naruto's.

This changes everything. Though his father (that bastard) still views him as no more than a warmonger, a tool of destruction, a _pawn_ \- he is no longer a wild killing machine, although his father would almost prefer that. He has a firmer grasp on reality. He knows who his family is. He knows who is friend, who is foe, who is _spy_.

Shukaku doesn't have free reign over his head. Gaara knows that he's there, can visit him in his mindscape where the demon lays behind bars, but Shukaku will never be his "mother". He knows who his true mother was, before she died, for Temari and Kankuro regale him with tales of her bravery as a kunoichi, and constantly stress that she did, in fact, love him.

His siblings are his saviors. They remind him of his humanity when the villagers treat him like a pariah, or even worse, a monster. They are all afraid of him, but not as much as they had been in the other life. They are not so afraid as to stop throwing rocks and glass and piercing words as he grows up.

It isn't a surprise when Yashamaru, his dear uncle, attempts to take Gaara's life. It doesn't work, of course, but Gaara isn't hurt by his words of hatred. He knows they're lies, knows that his father has ordered his uncle to try to destroy his sanity. His name isn't "a demon who loves only himself". He's "a demon whom I love"- who his mother loved.

He highly distrusts the Kazekage, maybe even loathes him. But he knows all of his mannerisms, his thoughts and inner workings, so he notices early on when his father is murdered and Orochimaru the Sannin takes over Suna.

Then he and his siblings are sent to the Chuunin Exams in Konoha, and are ordered to be apart of an invasion that he doesn't want anything to do with, and doesn't even benefit Suna. He informs Baki of his findings, and they begin to plan.

He meets Naruto on the day that they arrive, and can instantly sense that he's a Jinchūriki as well. They decide to have lunch together after Kankuro doesn't pick on the Hokage's grandson, and instead warns him kindly to watch where he's going. This is a good thing, because their new connections allows their team an audience with the Hokage. Gaara appeals to him, offering an alliance between Suna and Konoha, as well as intel on Orochimaru's doings. As a kind of down payment, he tells the Hokage about the formation of Oto.

With an alliance and new friendships in hand, they are able to compete in the exams without worry. As per Gaara's request, Naruto provides him with a list of teams that he's not to hurt, and to aid, instead. They end up forming near the base of the tower in the Forest of Death in a large group- which isn't technically against the rules, but is basically cheating.

And then, after the preliminaries, the invasion struck. Gaara gave the signal, then turned around and killed several Oto nin with his sand. The faux Kazekage is in shock when the Hokage knocks his hat off and Baki announces to the entire arena that he is, in fact, Orochimaru. Most shinobi of Suna ally with Konoha almost instantly after that, turning their back on the hopes of invading.

Through a different design, the people who fixed Gaara's seal saved the Third Hokage's life.

We hope you've liked our little stories so far! Please review with any comments, concerns, suggestions, or requests!


End file.
